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Just about one month ago, Denver traded Nene for Javale McGee. The consensus at the time of the trade seemed to be that Denver got younger and – in all likelihood – better (see NBA TV analysis, Roundball Mining Company from March 16th, and Hochman at the Denver Post), with DenverStiffs.com disagreeing slightly to say that McGee wasn’t as good as Nene as an NBA player, but that he was a much better asset than Nene. BulletsForever.com also stated that this was a good trade, albeit 2 weeks after the fact.

Predictably, Nuggets fanboys are starting to second-guess their own analysis. Roundball Mining Company now feels that trading for McGee was a mistake, half-heartedly arguing that McGee has no value before complaining that McGee might warrant a large contract in the off-season.

To me, this was a smart trade that comes down to three factors:

Building a balanced roster that will peak at the same time

Saving money

Maintaining future flexibility

Here’s how I’m going to break this out. First, I’m going to look at Nene and McGee as players, then connect that with Denver’s plan to build a champion while also making money and staying flexible. Read the rest

Here’s what we know about the Lakers: They need a point guard. Badly. So badly that they might even miss the playoffs without one.

Here’s what we know about Houston: They need to turn their bench full of young talent into a difference maker.

Finally, here’s what we know about Phoenix: They need to trade Steve Nash soon if they want anything in return for him. Otherwise, there’s a good chance he’ll walk away for nothing this summer when the Knicks offer him the full mid-level.

According to most reports, the Lakers are currently in the lead for the rights to acquire Chris Paul (as of December 7, 2011). The problem is, L.A. doesn’t quite have the right assets to land Chris Paul. Here’s why, and here’s a logical solution:

What New Orleans Wants: Losing Paul is going to kick start a rebuilding process, and that means that the Hornets need to turn solid veterans with big contracts (i.e., Emeka Okafor) into less expensive players and assets. The Hornets also want good first round draft picks.

What Los Angeles Wants: Chris Paul at any cost. Paul can be the face of the Lakers for the rest of this decade, succeeding Kobe. Furthermore, Paul + the Hollywood lifestyle will ensure that L.A. can entice free agents for years to come.

Takeaway: L.A. will probably trade anyone who isn’t named Kobe to acquire Paul.

The Problem: If we look at the centerpieces of the Chris Paul – Lakers trade:

New Orleans would pass on a Bynum for Paul trade because that doesn’t get rid of Okafor.

The Lakers can offer first round picks, but none of the picks are going to be very high. They’re likely to come in the late 20′s, which is nothing to get excited about considering Golden State and the Clippers can offer more.

The Solution: Why not pull in the Hawks?

Josh Smith is available, and Atlanta has picks they might be willing to offer up in a Gasol trade. L.A. could then trade the pick(s) from Atlanta to New Orleans (along with a pick or two of their own) and take back Okafor and Paul. Here’s the deal I would propose:

L.A. gets Chris Paul, Okafor, and Josh Smith

New Orleans gets Bynum, Kirk Hinrich, and draft picks from both Atlanta and L.A.

This post is from guest blogger Tavis J. Hampton, a wannabe sports reporter for All Blogs Considered and also writes for the best server hosting company on the planet, 34SP.com. In his spare time, Tavis enjoys watching his home team Indiana Pacers lose.

Image copyright Keith Allison - click photo for details

He led one team to three NBA titles and helped Dwayne Wade lead another to one. He was MVP of the NBA Finals three times, and his 28,596 points rank him fifth all time behind NBA legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan, and Wilt Chamberlain. The stats alone show that Shaquille O’Neal will go down in history as one of the greats, but the stats do not tell the whole story. Read the rest

Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Devin Harris and Derrick Favors have been traded to the Jazz for Deron Williams.

Shocking, right?

Looking at Utah’s cap situation and the seemingly inevitable drama that would have followed the Jazz around next season – the “Where will Deron go?” hysteria – Utah made a gutsy decision and turned a great point guard into a very good point guard, an interesting rookie, and two draft picks.

If I’m Cho and I’m running the show in Portland (pardon the pun), I’m working hard today to put my hands into the rumored Knicks-Nuggets trade that sends Ray Felton to Denver. Why? Because, as much as I like Andre Miller (and I’m speaking as a student of the game and as Blazer’s management), he’s old. He’s as good as he’s ever going to be. Felton? He’s only going to get better.

Raymond Felton is a good passer, a decent defender, and a better shooter than Miller, and therefore he’s a better running mate for Brandon Roy. He’s also younger, so he’ll have a chance to develop chemistry with Portland’s new franchise player LaMarcus Aldridge.

In other words, Felton is a better fit than Miller.

In my opinion, Denver will be open to trading Felton right away because: Read the rest